Flight attendants reveal the 8 passenger behaviors that get you secretly blacklisted

Every interaction you have on a flight gets noted, remembered, and sometimes reported. While flight attendants are trained to handle difficult situations with grace, they also have internal systems for flagging problematic passengers. From incident reports that go straight to airline corporate offices to shared databases among crew members, your behavior doesn't just disappear when you deplane.

Here are eight behaviors that can get you on the wrong side of the flight crew.

1. Ignoring safety instructions

I once watched a passenger keep his headphones in during the entire safety demonstration, completely tuned out. When the flight attendant approached him specifically about his seatbelt, he acted annoyed, like she was interrupting his music.

This isn't just about being rude. It's a safety violation.

Flight attendants report that passengers who consistently ignore safety instructions create significant problems. When you're watching a movie during the demonstration or scrolling through your phone while the crew explains emergency exits, you're not just being inconsiderate. You're potentially putting yourself and others at risk.

And yes, they notice. More importantly, they document it.

2. Becoming aggressive or threatening

This should go without saying, but apparently it doesn't.

Physical or verbal aggression toward crew members or other passengers is one of the fastest ways to end up on an airline's internal no-fly list. We're not talking about politely disagreeing about a seat assignment. We're talking about raised voices, threats, or any behavior that makes people feel unsafe.

The FAA takes unruly passenger behavior seriously, with fines reaching up to $43,658 per violation. One incident can result in multiple violations. Beyond the financial penalties, aggressive behavior can land you on an airline's internal blacklist or even affect your TSA PreCheck eligibility.

Airlines maintain Cabin Event Reporting Systems that document these incidents. Unlike anonymous safety reports, these systems specifically identify the passengers involved and can follow you from flight to flight.

3. Excessive call button use for non-emergencies

The call button isn't room service.

Flight attendants have reported a significant increase in passengers treating it like a concierge service. Pressing it multiple times during a single flight for connection questions, specific water brands, or Bluetooth troubleshooting.

Here's what you need to understand: flight attendants are safety professionals first. When you hit that button, they're expecting an emergency. Using it to ask about WiFi or request a pillow when they'll walk through the cabin in five minutes? That gets noted.

Once is forgivable. Multiple times on multiple flights creates a pattern that crew members share with each other.

4. Attempting to self-serve from the beverage cart

This one surprised me when I first heard about it, but it makes perfect sense.

When the beverage cart comes through, some passengers think they're being helpful by reaching over to grab their own drink or snack. In reality, this creates inventory problems for the flight attendants who need to account for what's been distributed throughout the cabin.

It also breaks the service flow. Flight attendants work in a rhythm, moving through the cabin efficiently. When you interrupt that process by helping yourself, you're actually slowing things down for everyone else.

Beyond that, it's a hygiene and safety issue. The crew is trained in food handling and knows which items are designated for specific passengers with dietary restrictions or allergies.

5. Refusing to follow crew instructions

"Why can't I keep my bag with me during landing?"

"I don't want to put my seat up."

"I'm just going to keep my laptop out for a few more minutes."

Sound familiar?

Flight attendants give instructions for specific safety reasons, not because they enjoy telling people what to do. When you argue about stowing your bag, keeping your seatbelt fastened during turbulence, or putting your tray table up for landing, you're not just being difficult with that one crew member.

You're creating a documented incident.

Airlines track passengers who consistently refuse to follow crew instructions. The FAA considers interfering with crew member duties a violation of federal law. What feels like a minor disagreement to you might be the third time this month that crew has had to repeatedly ask you to comply with basic requirements.

6. Being intoxicated before or during the flight

This is a big one, and it's getting worse.

Incident reports found that alcohol was the overwhelming factor in passenger complaints. Fights, sexual harassment, verbal abuse, refusing to follow directions. The common thread? Intoxication.

FAA regulations prohibit airlines from allowing intoxicated passengers to board, and passengers from consuming alcohol that wasn't served by a flight attendant. When you show up to the gate already drunk or order multiple drinks in the airport bar before boarding, the crew notices.

They're trained to identify intoxicated passengers and have the authority to deny boarding or refuse to serve you. More significantly, if your drinking leads to disruptive behavior, it goes into a report that follows you.

Airlines share information about problem passengers. What happens on one carrier can affect your ability to fly with others, particularly when alcohol-related incidents are involved.

7. Treating crew members disrespectfully

This includes behaviors that might seem minor individually but add up over time.

Calling flight attendants pet names like "honey" or "sweetheart." Flirting inappropriately. Ignoring their greeting at boarding. Not acknowledging their presence. Snapping your fingers for attention. Complaining loudly about service within earshot.

I know someone who was consistently rude to crew over several flights on the same route. Nothing formal, just dismissive behavior and condescending comments. Eventually, she noticed less desirable seat assignments despite her frequent flier status. Coincidence? Maybe not.

Flight attendants talk to each other. They remember faces. Repeated disrespect creates a reputation that precedes you, especially if you're a frequent flier on specific routes.

8. Creating disruptions during boarding or deplaning

Blocking the aisle while you reorganize your entire bag. Standing up the second the seatbelt sign turns off and pushing past everyone. Taking forever to deplane while crew members have tight turnarounds to catch their next flight.

These behaviors might not seem like a big deal in the moment, but they demonstrate a consistent disregard for others and create operational problems.

Flight attendants are evaluated on on-time performance. When passengers cause delays, it affects their metrics and potentially their ability to make their own connections. Do this repeatedly, and you become known as "that passenger" who always makes things difficult.

The most problematic passengers are those who combine multiple items from this list. Someone who blocks the aisle, ignores instructions, and then argues with the crew about why they can't keep their oversized bag in the overhead bin? That's getting documented.

Final thoughts

Here's the reality: most passengers will never have any of these issues. You board, follow basic instructions, treat people respectfully, and go about your flight. No one's tracking you because there's nothing to track.

But if you're consistently difficult, dismissive, or disruptive? There are systems in place to note that. Flight attendants file incident reports. Airlines maintain internal databases. Crew members share information about problem passengers, particularly on routes they fly regularly.

The good news is that being a decent passenger isn't complicated. Follow instructions. Be respectful. Don't make your problems everyone else's problems. Pretty basic stuff that most of us learned in kindergarten.

Your reputation in the air matters more than you might think. And unlike a bad Yelp review, you can't just create a new account and start fresh.